Tag Archives: Empath sensitivity

I recently read a blog post, by Mark Sisson, regarding loneliness and how it has become near epidemic levels.

The article discussed how loneliness is perceived as a weakness and is something we don’t openly talk about in society, which is certainly true.

To admit to being lonely is often seen as too shameful. It’s as though anyone admitting to loneliness is admitting to failure in life.

People may also not want to admit to being lonely because of the worry of what others think. The fear that being lonely might show one to be unpopular, with a lack of friends, might hold some back from discussing it. Which is ridiculous when you think about it. Someone can have many friends and family members, yet still feel lonely.

Loneliness can also occur when people feel like they don’t fit into life. Feeling ‘different’ can lead to a sense of isolation.

They say that loneliness is worse for the health than smoking; which makes sense. Anything that detrimentally weakens the emotional health is damaging to the physical.

The fact that loneliness has become an epidemic, and is now so famous, should not come as a surprise. People are so self-absorbed these days. Because everyone is kept super-busy with work commitments, family life, social media or just trying to figure out existence, they don’t always have time for others.Continue reading →

I’ve always been fascinated by the many different ways of human nature. Things that set us apart or unite us. One such way being competition.

When it comes to the idea of competing, I am somewhat of a contradiction. On the one hand I think it’s healthy and on the other, it is ugly.

If there’s one thing I dislike in a person, it’s an ugly competitive streak. When someone is willing to trample all over another, just to win, this is ‘ugly competition’. It could also be seen when someone is jealous of another’s achievements, and they undermine these achievements, just to continue to feel superior.

That said, if we don’t have a level of competition, we don’t tend to push ourselves forward to become better.

Unlike me, my husband is very competitive. If the game doesn’t have a competition, there’s no element of risk and he doesn’t want to play. I used to love playing badminton. Not competitively. Just hitting the shuttlecock back and forth, over the net, without it falling to the ground. My husband also liked to play, but for him the joy was in the competition. So, playing together never really worked. He wanted to score points for fun and I wanted to have fun without the scoring.

That’s not to say he, or the many other men and women like him, have an ugly competitive streak. He’s not a sore loser and he wouldn’t manipulate another to win. If anything, he would encourage others.

I don’t think I have ever enjoyed competition. It almost seems like winning makes another into a loser.

When competing at school, in sports for example, I felt myself weaken physically. I now realize this was just another part of being an Empath. For one thing, if I won, it meant the other lost. Which felt wrong. And for another, during competitive sports, I was likely picking up on the others’ intention (wanting to beat me), and morphed my energy signature to fit with their intentional energy. (If you have experienced this you will know exactly what I mean).

When we are unaware, as Empaths, we can pick up on the intentions, opinions and judgements of others which can impact our behaviour.

I go to gym classes most days (Zumba, aerobics, etc.). When there, I never like being too close to the competitive people. They give off such strong vibes. I can feel them wanting to be better than others in the room. I don’t need to know them or have talked to them to feel this. I’m not saying this makes them bad people. I just don’t like feeling this energy when I work out.

It took me some years to understand that this was what I was feeling when in gym classes. It is often in yoga classes where I sense ‘the competitive energy’ at its worst. It’s a big reason I don’t like practising yoga around others.

Again, I understand that although I’m not partial to being in competition, it can drive people on to being the best version of themselves. But it can also do the opposite.

There is a great saying that, ‘It’s not about the winning it’s about the taking part.’ Yet some would argue that if there’s no chance of winning, what is the point of taking part? That is a mentality I don’t agree with (I told you I was a contradiction). It’s the ego talking. If you enjoy the competition, do it for yourself. But don’t not compete just because you might not win.

My opinion is that our best competition is ourself. We should always be working to become better than we were last week or last year, in all areas of life. And self-competition is something I do enjoy.

So, yes, I see competition as both healthy and unhealthy, good and bad.

It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the subject. How does competition affect you as an Empath? Does it help you thrive? Or does it make your energy recede? Feel free to share in the comments below.

As it’s new year and we all have intentions of becoming healthier and happier, I’ve decided to do a fantastic offer on Kindle Countdown for all you lovely Empaths. For 2 days you can get the Empath Eating plan for $1.26. Yes, that’s right, only $1.26. The price will gradually increase until it goes back to full list price on 16th January 2019.

You can click here to have a quick read through of the first part of the book, to see if the information is for you. Remember it’s only for 2 days that the price will be so low.Continue reading →

There is no escaping this simple fact of life, the majority of Empaths are easily hurt by the criticisms and judgements of others. In some cases, so much so, that it may prevent them from taking any creative risks in life.

Yes, the pain of criticism holds many of us back, for the simple reason it is human nature to avoid anything which causes pain.

But as the old saying goes: ‘The only way to avoid criticism is to say nothing, do nothing and be nothing’. And I doubt there are many Empaths who want to go through life doing nothing. Continue reading →

Have you tried all types of grounding or protective techniques, as an Empath, and find nothing works? Or have you found you are more negatively affected when spending time around certain people than you ever have been?

Have you considered the possibility that you may be suffering with leaky aura syndrome?

Most Empaths come to realize they have a leaky aura when they experience near-constant exhaustion, after spending little time around people. The grounding and protection techniques, they try, don’t make any difference to how they feel or experience the emotional energy of others. They may have even become so sensitive that they struggle to enjoy life.

Anyone whose auric field is congested, particularly with negative energy, may eventually develop auric permeability. But it is not just negative energy that causes the problem. In fact, when a person’s aura is permeable the problem often originated within the body. The biggest contributors are excessive stress, emotional pain, poor lifestyle choices, bad people, toxic environments and food.

After a lifetime of being Sensitive, and the challenges that go with it, the Empath’s body becomes less resilient (especially evident after the age of thirty). A weakened body weakens the energy field and is a major contributor to leaky aura.

The auric field is affected by your thoughts, feelings, actions and words. And because of the law of attraction, depending on the way you think and feel will determine what you draw into your life.

If as an Empath, you have leaky aura syndrome, and are unaware of it, you have little control over what you attract. You will struggle to protect yourself from the low-level vibrations in your environment; they seep into your energy field even when you work to stop them. You then vibrate at this same frequency, drawing in more of the same. Continue reading →

In recent years, there has been many shifts and changes with energy patterns. Anything to do with energy shifting will always affect the Empath in weird and wonderful ways. But it is how it impacts others that might disrupt life.

When there is any type of ‘shift,’ it usually brings to the surface anything buried, which often causes conflict, activates anger issues and finger-pointing.

If, as an Empath, you get emotionally floored, angry, anxious or feel under attack, with no real reason for it, it could simply be down to a shift.

When these shifts happen you may feel like you are out-of-body, observing life as it is going on around you but not really feeling part of it. You may overhear conversations that seem so predictable and obvious that you wonder why others are having them, or you may question why people can’t jump off the hamster wheels they are so fervently spinning on.

It might seem as though you are watching helplessly, from the side-lines, as others refuse to face the truths of themselves, or of this world, and everywhere people seem angry or preoccupied with ridiculous issues.

People are experiencing their ‘buried issues’, which come up during energy shifts, but are refusing to face them. Because of this, they may project what they are feeling on to political issues or lash out at family members or friends.

This destructive energy then builds and becomes more overwhelming for those of us who are Sensitive. Continue reading →

Well, here I am with the news of another book release: The Empath Awakening.

The book, which could be classed as a prequel to 7 Secrets of the Sensitive, is about what to expect during the transition time of an ‘Empath Awakening’.

I cover subjects such as: friendships and family, toxic relationships, how the mind, body and spirit are impacted by Empath imbalances and how to overcome them, traits that become out of balance, how a permeable aura allows other people’s emotional energy to take you down, and much more.

If you want to have a quick look at the book, to get an idea of what its about, click here or on the above image, to read the blurb and some sample pages.

Here is a short extract explaining how the Empath’s weakened aura (energy-field) can impair their quality of life:

The Empath Aura

Your aura emanates around you like a luminous egg-shaped sheath. It extends around and away from the body for anything up to five feet (in a healthy person). The vibration of this energetic frame is fine and subtle.

Those who are unhealthy, in their body and mind, have an unhealthy, receded aura which is also permeable (energy leaks out and in).

Our aura both surrounds and penetrates our body and resonates with both our physical and mental bodies. Years’ worth of data is stored within our energy-field; this information is normally an accumulation of happy and sad experiences, ideas and opinions, unreleased painful emotions, negative thought-forms, past life memories and toxins, etc. Because Empaths pick up energy from others, we can also carry inside our aura their negative thought-forms and energy.

When the aura is damaged, it becomes leaky. This is bad news on many levels: it allows our energy out (causing fatigue and other imbalances), and admits other people’s energy in, which then merges with our own.

Empaths are known to have a permeable aura, and this is why people’s energy can be so debilitating. But they are not the only ones. Anyone who is unhealthy or with emotional issues possess a weakened energy-field, which means their energy and emotions are also able to leak out.

If an Empath comes into close proximity with those who have a leaky aura, they will soak up anything leaked like a super-absorbent sponge. It may appear that strangers’ energy purposely infringes our own, but it is often an energetic merger.

If you are unhealthy, eat an unsuitable diet, take drugs or stimulants, drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, experience stress and have dark thoughts you will likely have a permeable aura. This means you pick the emotions and energy off others which then becomes etched within your energy-field. You are also affected by negative residual energy and other low frequency vibrations. The only way to heal the aura is by making some changes.

Experiencing overwhelm, after picking up a stranger’s emotional energy, often means the memory of it gets imprinted. Any future interactions, with unfamiliar energy, may cause something like an “energetic allergic reaction”. These reactions are draining and can leave us feeling well below par for hours or even days. If these responses become a common occurrence, following time spent in public places, it prevents us from fully participating in our own life. This is seen by avoidance of peopled areas and anything that involves social interaction.

By finding total balance of mind, body and spirit, it works something like an “energetic anti-histamine” for the Empath. A healthy body and mind results in a powerful aura and creates the Empath’s invisible armour.

A formidable aura empowers the Empath. It persuades other people’s energy to bounce off and is key to living a happier life.

We cannot expect our mind and spirit to be strong when we are putting something into the body that weakens it. Nor can we expect our body to be strong if we experience “Sensitivity stress”.

Sensitivity Stress

Empaths are Sensitive. Anyone who is Sensitive will experience overwhelming emotions, vivid thoughts, and they get hurt more easily than most. This can lead to Sensitivity stress which compromises the immune system… and eventually results in a damaged aura.

Sensitivity stress is endured by those who experience other people’s emotional pain and energy as an adverse reaction (feeling drained, experiencing negative emotion or becoming unwell), they also overreact to any emotional situation and are prone to having anxiety or panic attacks.

This type of stress is not caused by having deadlines to work to and a mammoth to-do-list (although they certainly won’t help), it is caused by having a Sensitive nature, being overly stimulated from external energy and/or having buried emotional pain. Just like normal stress, it damages the immune system and puts strain on the mind and body. This in turn leads to illness, rampant negative thoughts, and a weakened aura…

So there you go a sneaky peak at what The Empath Awakening is about.

The book will be available for free download until the 21st August. Then it will return to full Kindle price of $7.99 ($14.99 for paperback copy).

You can read the book on any device from your phone, laptop or iPad although you may have to download the free Amazon Kindle App.

Click here for free Kindle download of The Empath Awakening or here for paperback version (not included on offer). Please note these links are for Amazon Kindle US. If you are from another part of the world you will have to download it from the online Amazon store in your area. Just type in The Empath Awakening by Diane Kathrine in the Kindle search bar.

If you download the book and find the information to be helpful, I would really appreciate it if you could write a Kindle review for me. Or if you would like to offer any constructive criticism please feel free to inbox me on my FB page Empaths Empowered.

If you think this offer will be useful to anyone else, please feel free to share on Facebook or other places.

This Monday 20th June 2016 befalls a rather special occurrence… The summer solstice.

The summer solstice has long-since been noted as a magical day with a time-honored history of celebrations. This year’s solstice comes with an extra bonus of being a full moon. The last time this occurred was 70 years ago.

There are not many who have ever experienced a celestial event of this magnitude. Having a full Strawberry Moon on the same day as a summer solstice is a truly rare event.

The full moon in June is known as the Full Strawberry Moon because it is the time of year to harvest ripening fruit, which also coincides with the strawberry season.

If you are sensitive to the energy of full moons and/or solstices, this one will surely pack a magical punch. It is a great time to set your intentions for the year ahead and wonderful period to spend in contemplation and meditation (and to spend as much time as you can in nature) to experience the full magnificence of this occasion.

Empath Power

Empath Power, the book, has now been released. I timed the release to coincide with this magical solstice weekend. It is available in both paperback and eBook versions. Here is a snippet of what it entails:

There are some major changes happening on the planet affecting Empaths on many levels. These changes bring pain, emotional disruptions, repetitive, negative thought patterns and physical distress.

With any energy shift Empaths, and anyone of a Sensitive nature, get clobbered from all directions. Not only do they endure the discomfort of a shifting period in their own way, but they also pick up on how the populace are experiencing these ups and downs. If you often feel overwhelmed and overloaded by all you have to process during these turbulent times Empath Power is for you.

As an Empath you are one of life’s game changers! It is imperative you stay grounded, protected and healthy during these testing periods and this book is your guide to show you how!

You can go to the Kindle store here to read the first section for free and see if this book is what you might need at this present time.

Continuing from my last post, today I want to discuss how a person’s residual energy can trigger an Empath.

Residual energy is a trail left by a person’s moods and emotions. It can also be created when a conflict has occurred in a certain place.

How does dark residual energy affect an Empath..?

Well, when left by a person, it can seep into their energy field and influence their thoughts and moods for days after being picked up. Which is obviously a problem if it is negative.

When filled with negative emotions, anyone and everyone can leave a trail of dark lingering energy. But those who affect the Empaths in the most painful ways are the people who act as Emotional Trauma Triggers (ETTs).

A trauma trigger is an event from the past that can trigger a reaction, such as anxiety or fear, in the present. But even residual energy, left by someone who caused you emotional pain in the past ( or those who carry the same energy signature), can become an emotional trauma trigger.

How do you know if someone is an emotional trauma trigger?

Generally, the mere mention of an ETT’s name is enough to ignite an unpleasant emotional response. But the worst reaction happens when you have spent time with them and their residual energy has seeped into your aura.

How to tell the difference between your own emotions and those which don’t belong to you.

Within ‘7 Secrets of the Sensitive – Harness the Empath’s Hidden Power’ I help you understand why you experience what you do. I show what simple steps you can take to revolutionize your life, take back your power and live the life for which you were destined. As an Empath you deserve an incredible happy life!

If you do happen do purchase a copy I would just like to say a huge thank you and I look forward to it helping transform your Empath life!

There are many layers and mysteries to an Empath. So much so, much of life is spent uncovering and discovering what being an Empath is all about.

The sooner we discover who we are, and come to understand our incredible traits, the better we can navigate the journey.

Sadly, there are too many who go through life not knowing who they are. Nor realizing some of their quirky ways are actually part and parcel of being Sensitive. And this is why I continue to spread the word about the many ways of an Empath

Here is a list of some of the less discussed behaviours that sets the Empath apart (as well as a few of the better known ones – thrown in for good measure).

1. Possesses Emotional Intelligence

Empaths encompass incredible emotional intelligence, which they use to make careful decisions they hope will bring balance into their life and the lives of others. But as emotional intelligence is a rare gift, in a world ran by logic and rules, it can leave the Empath hurt and vulnerable by those who do not function or think in the same way.

2. Excellent Judge of Character

Sensing all they do about people and life makes the Empath an excellent judge of character. Their first impressions are always correct.

3. Senses Deep Emotional Energy

An Empath senses emotions intensely, both their own and others. But this ability can weaken them, especially when it is emotional pain they feel. This is the opposite of who they know they are. Deep within they recognize they are here to do something special, but are often held back from finding their purpose by the confusion of what they experience emotionally.

4. Endures Empath Overwhelm

It is easy for an Empath to become overwhelmed without necessarily understanding the reason for it. They often look for ways to shelter from this overwhelm in vices such as alcohol or drugs. It may take time for the Empath to discover these substances have the opposite effect and make their pain more intense.

Is it your emotion you are feeling? Or does it belong to someone else?

Learning to differentiate between ‘whose emotion belongs to whom’ certainly proves to be a challenge for an Empath.

Every Empath quickly discovers of their ability to sense the emotional energy in others, but some struggle to distinguish these emotions from their own.

I often get asked questions like: ‘How do I define what I feel in another person?’ or ‘How can I block the emotions coming from others?’

Not understanding what other people’s emotions represent is more common than you might think within the Empath world.

When I was younger (teens and twenties), I did not know I could sense another’s emotions. I thought my own insecurities made me feel uneasy when around certain people. If anyone carried hidden pain, negative energy or anger issues, I felt them as a deep sense of discomfort. Which I wrongly interpreted as being part of my own social hang-ups.

Many Empaths wrongly interpret the emotional energy belonging to another; often claiming it as their own. By developing a strong sense of intuition it helps to prevent this from happening. Here we will take a look at the best ways to do it:

1. Practice meditation daily. If only for a short time. Five minutes a day is better than no minutes. Stilling the mind, through meditation, is one of the best ways to develop intuition.

It is not an overnight process. Some have to work harder than others. It is in meditation you receive the answers to the questions, you may have asked. These answers come through messages and visions.

2. Know your visions are real. The visions you see in meditation often have significant meaning… you just need to decipher them. Many of your messages come through symbolism or code and are unique to each one of us. For example: one person may see a red rose in their mind’s eye and interpret it as a message of love; another may see the same vision, but interpret the thorns and color red as a sign of danger.

Your visions and messages are exclusive to you and that is why it is important to recognize their meanings. Continue reading →

In recent times, more and more information has become available on the traits of Empaths and Highly Sensitive People (HSPs). But as little as ten years ago this wasn’t the case. Many Sensitive people struggled to understand who they were and why they had such powerful emotional reactions to life situations or when around certain people.

It is interesting to note how many Empaths discovered they were also introverts on their quest to uncover why they ‘felt’ so much when around people. And a need for time alone was not just down to having been ‘peopled’, it is very much an introvert trait. But even the extrovert Empaths discovered, like introverts, they also need time alone to recharge.

During my research I came across two authors, Susan Cain, who wrote the book Quiet, and Dr. Elaine Aron, a prominent research psychologist who wrote a book about HSPs. Their research really helped me better understand the traits of Empaths , HSPS and introverts.

In her research, into the inner-workings and behaviour traits of Sensitive people, Dr Aron interviewed 39 people who described themselves as either being introverted or easily overwhelmed by social stimulation, and queried their film preferences, creative activities, relationships with family and friends, and philosophical and religious views.

Based on these interviews, and further research, she came up with a compilation of 27 attributes of a Highly Sensitive Person.

Here’s a sampling:

Highly Sensitive People tend to be keen observers who look before they leap.

They arrange their lives in ways that limit surprises.

They are sensitive to sights, sounds, smells, pain, and stimulants such as coffee.

HSPs have difficulty when being observed or judged for general worthiness.

They have a tendency to be philosophical or spiritual in their orientation, rather than being materialistic.

They dislike being engaged in small talk.

They describe themselves as being creative or intuitive.

They dream vividly and have good dream recall.

They love music, art, nature and physical beauty.

They feel exceptionally strong emotions, such as acute bouts of joy, sorrow, melancholy and fear.

They process information about their environments, both physical and emotional, very deeply.

They notice subtleties: such as another person’s shift in mood or a light bulb burning too brightly.

They have an unusually strong conscience.

They dislike violent films and TV shows.

The are acutely aware of the consequences of their own behaviour.

In social settings they often focus on subjects like the personal problems of others.

Aron also found that many introverts tend to be Highly Sensitive…or Empaths!

Do you identify with any of the above traits?

It should be noted that because someone is an Empath does not always make them an introvert, there certainly seems to be more introvert Empaths than extroverts, but many introvert Empaths tend to be a HSP.

An introvert Empath or HSP has more chance of becoming excessively withdrawn, to the point of becoming a near recluse, especially if they’ve taken many knocks in life (read more about this here).

If would like to discover more about where you sit on the introvert/extrovert spectrum click here to take the Briggs Meyers personality test. It’s quite an eye opener.

For more books on the incredible Empath traits and ways for the Empaths to harness their hidden power click here.

It may sound like a cliché statement to make, but if you change your diet you really can transform your Empath life!

Let me explain more:

Last year (2012), I eliminated wheat from my diet. It is one of the best things I have done for my health and Empath wellbeing. It was through this that I discovered how great a part diet plays on Empath traits.

I have already written about the devastating effects wheat has on the body and mind. And, after more in-depth research, I will expand on the reasons behind this and take a look at how wheat and gluten is being linked to many diseases, and how it affects the way Empaths interpret the emotional energy of others.

Every Empath will benefit from removing wheat, and even gluten, from their diet. Especially if they suffer from any kind of depressive illness or if they are introverted to the point of not wanting to venture out into the world.

How wheat was changed

The wheat you consume today is nothing like your grandparents feasted on. It is now the product of genetic manipulation and these changes began as far back as 1935 when genes for semi-dwarf wheat were first bred.

Dwarfing the wheat genes enabled greater seed production. And, because dwarf wheat only grows to a height of two feet, instead of the usual four, it made it less prone to wind damage.

By the 1970s this semi-dwarf wheat was being successfully farmed in Mexico, India and Pakistan. By 1985 much of the Western world was producing semi-dwarf wheat and by 1997, 81% of the developing world had introduced this crop.

Although the sole intention of genetic crossbreeding of wheat was to give greater yield, thus ending world famine, it changed components of the wheat protein known as gliadin, which caused many problems to the human body.

To try and explain this as un-technically as possible:

Gliadin is a lectin and a part of wheatgerm and gluten. Lectins are proteins that are found within plants and animals; they do the same job of antibodies within the human body, fighting off foreign invaders such as bacteria.

Stomach acid has little effect on lectins – they are virtually indigestible! So, if a person has consumed wheat, the lectins move into the intestines undigested. The intestinal tract knows exactly how to filter waste and extract nourishment; it knows toxins and bacteria from the nutrients our bodies need to feed its cells.

Lectins have the capacity to switch off this filtering system and disturb the intestines ability to act as a filter. The colon then becomes permeable or leaky and allows toxins into the body that have no right to be there.

These toxins wreak havoc on our physical systems and show up in any part of the body as: inflammation of the gut, bowel disease, arthritis, dermatitis, depression, anxiety, acid reflux, asthma, eczema, inflammation of the organs, imbalance in the endocrine system (system which secrete hormones into bloodstream), chronic fatigue, weight gain/loss and joint pain.

But the above ailments are just the tip of the iceberg. And, for the Empath, lectins can heighten all their negative traits and supress the positive.

Depression

Another symptom related to the changes in wheat is the plague of depression that has been on the rise since the mid eighties; coincidentally around the time genetically mutated wheat became abundant and a staple at every meal.

In the 1950s it was estimated that no more than 50 to 100 people out of a million had the need for antidepressants; that figure stands today at 1 in 10!

More than 40 million people worldwide are now taking antidepressants. According to The National Centre for Health Statistics, in America alone, the use of antidepressants increased by 400% between 1988 and 1994 and numbers have continued to escalate since then.

It has been scientifically proven that wheat can change your personality and behaviour!

In tests, wheat was put through the process of digestion. It was found when wheat broke down, during digestion, it did so into many small proteins. These small proteins had the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and bind themselves to the opiate receptors of the brain, having the effect of creating behavioural changes such as paranoia and depression.

The opiate effect of wheat is similar to that of narcotics, but without the pleasurable high and is addictive. So addictive in fact that it will give withdrawal symptoms soon after elimination.

An Empath is sensitive to anything of a narcotic nature. They are also prone to experiencing depression or heightened negative emotions, simply by being around anyone who is suffering. Consuming wheat heightens any negative emotions they experience, both their own and those they pick up.

The last thing an Empath needs is to be brought down by their food. This is why they will benefit from wheat elimination.

To some, the notion of giving up wheat (bread, cakes, pasta and pizza) fills them with dread, even anger, that is just an addiction talking.

Once eliminated from the diet, the desire for wheat foods disappear completely. For some it may take days for others a couple of weeks. However, the addiction will return if wheat is reintroduced, as well as some other nasty effects.

(Update 2017) I believe so much in the power of diet change for an Empath I have written a book about it. If you too want to see big changes in your health and happiness, and I mean changes, why not read The Eating Plan for Empaths & HSPs, it might transform you Empath life!